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| Ben Snyder improved to 5-0 for High-A San Jose after throwing seven scoreless innings. He allowed seven hits and struck out five. |
Our View: Snyder has been playing down to the competition at age 22, but he is a true sleeper as a prospect. The crafty lefty has superb control, as he showed last season in Low-A with an ERA near 2.00. His ERA stands at a miniscule 0.73 through eight starts this season.
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| Tyler Colvin went 4-for-4 with two home runs for Double-A Tennessee on Monday, giving him five homers for the season. |
Our View: The former first-round draft choice in 2006 has largely been a disappointment since being drafted, but he shows flashes every so often that remind us why he was drafted so high. Still, he is hitting just .247 this season and showing horrific plate discipline, as usual.
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| Joe Mather went 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season for Triple-A Memphis on Monday. |
Our View: Mather has had some injuries this season, so he only has 77 at-bats to this point. His .325-4-9 line is quite impressive, and he seems like the Cardinals’ top option in the minors should they need an outfielder. With 31 homers last season, he shows plenty of upside.
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| Matthew Maloney threw a two-hitter in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader for Triple-A Louisville. He allowed two walks and struck out seven. |
Our View: Maloney’s ceiling is limited, but he has had the success in the low minors to be considered an interesting prospect. In spite of a slow start this season, he is making progress. He’s lowered his ERA to 5.23 with two solid starts in a row.
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| Damion Easley homered for the first time since Aug. 18 of last year at Washington. The utility player added an RBI single in the third of the Mets loss to the Nats. |
Our View: Easley was filling in for Luis Castillo, who strained his left quadriceps running out a triple Sunday.
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| Mets reliever Matt Wise returned to Florida to get in more work before he is activated from the disabled list. |
Our View: On the DL since April 2 with a bruised right arm, Wise joined the team in New York on Friday but was never activated.
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| Mets skipper Willie Randolph was noncommittal after the Monday night loss to Washington about whether he would alter his rotation so ace Johan Santana could start Friday at Yankee Stadium in the opener of the weekend Subway Series. |
Our View: The way the rotation is set up now, Santana is set to start Thursday against the Nationals and Mike Pelfrey against the Mets on Friday.
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| Manny Ramirez finally hit a home run, number 498 of his career. The two-run shot was his second home run in 20 games. |
Our View: Ramirez owners will be glad to see him hit his 500th and put the distraction behind him.
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| Randy Wolf was hit hard on Monday night as the Padres lost their 25th game of the season. The left-hander allowed seven runs on eight hits, walked five and struck out two in four innings of work. |
Our View: Wolf, like most of the Padres' pitchers, prefer to be pitching at PETCO Park. Wolf's ERA went from 4.14 to 5.16 after his Monday performance.
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| Jody Gerut hit his first homer in nearly three years on Monday night in Wrigley Field. Gerut's last homer came on May 24, 2005, against the Twins while he was playing for the Indians. |
Our View: The ex-Cleveland prospect has now played in eight games this season. In 20 at-bats Gerut has four hits, one RBI, two runs scored and one stolen base.
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| Carlos Zambrano, who was held out of Sunday's start against Arizona due to inclimate weather, won his fifth consecutive decision over the hapless San Diego Padres on Monday night. |
Our View:
Pitching with an extra day's rest, Zambrano allowed six hits and three runs in seven innings.
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| Adam Wainwright didn't have his typical "stuff" on Monday night and suffered his worst outing of the year. The right-hander allowed eight runs (six earned) on eight hits, walked one and struck out three in the loss to the Brewers. |
Our View: It was a struggle from the first inning for Wainwright when he offered up a flat fastball to Ryan Braun for a home run.
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| Cardinals deposed closer Jason Isringhausen pitched a scoreless eighth for St. Louis. |
Our View: Isringhausen will work out his command issues before returning to the closer role. But rest assured the veteran will be the team's ninth inning option, sooner than later.
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| Right-hander Guillermo Mota came into Monday's game against the Cardinals with the bases loaded and struck out center fielder Rick Ankiel for his first save of the season.
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Our View: The Brewers are going with "closer by committee" since removing Eric Gagne from the role this weekend. Mota, Mitch Stetter, David Riske, Brian Shouse and Salomon Torres are all in line to receive situational saves.
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| Brewers starter Dave Bush gave up a run and four hits in six innings, and registered his first win of the season.
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Our View: Bush, who has suffered from uncharacteristic command issues this year walked two and struck out one in the win.
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| Ryan Braun hit two home runs for the second game in a row, and the Milwaukee Brewers scored a 8-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
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Our View: Braun followed up Sunday's two-homer performance by hitting two more off Cards ace Adam Wainwright.
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| Brandon Phillips hit is seven home run of the season in the seventh inning off of losing pitcher Taylor Tankersley as the Reds defeated the Marlins 8-7 on Monday night. |
Our View: Phillips added a single in his two hit performance. The Reds second baseman raised his average to .290 on the season.
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| Florida outfielder Josh Willingham hit soft-toss pitches Monday, according to the AP. Willingham, sidelined by a sore back, is eligible to come off the 15-day DL during the series in Cincinnati, but his return is uncertain. |
Our View: If Willingham can get an at-bat or two in this weekend, he should be safe to activate for fantasy Week 7.
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| Hanley Ramirez hit his ninth home run of the season on Monday but it wasn't enough to help Florida to victory. The Marlins lost 8-7 to the Cincinnati Reds ending their seven game winning streak. |
Our View: Ramirez continues to justify his new contact and challenge as the best player in the league.
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| Jeremy Hermida hit his fourth home run of the season in an 9-8 loss to the Reds on Monday night. |
Our View: Hermida was 2-for-4 on the night raising his average to .309. On the season the Marlins outfielder also has 19 RBI and 20 runs scored in 122 at-bats.
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| Aaron Harang allowed four runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out four and the Reds scored a 8-7 win over the Reds on Monday night. |
Our View: The victory was Harang's second of the season against five loses. The right-hander has deserved better this year. With a 3.32 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 62 innings, the Reds' ace could easily have four or five wins, opposed to losses, this season.
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| Burke Badenhop gave up two runs in the fifth and the sixth innings in the 8-7 loss to Cincinnati. The right-hander allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits, walked two and struck out two. |
Our View: Badenhop was effective early on cruising through the first four innings, but the outing was typical for a young pitcher. Once a lineup as potent as the Reds gets two looks at an unknown arm, they and other major league hitters usually find success the third and fourth time through the order.
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| After days of back and forth, the decision was finally made to place Rafael Furcal on the DL on Tuesday because of his sore back, according to the Associated Press. The move is retroactive to May 6th making him eligible to be activated on May 21st. |
Our View: Furcal will have a cortisone shot on Tuesday and start rehab on Wednesday. It would appear that light hitting Chin-lung Hu will continue to see the most playing time, but he isn't worth picking up at this point, even in an NL Only league.
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| Eric Gagne did an about face on Monday and stated that he was indeed ready to go back into the closers role, though the team is still not certain, according to MLB.com. Manager Ned yost said the team will continue to go with a closer-by-committee approach for now. |
Our View: The report hints that Gange may have been tipping his pitches, which might explain some of his struggles, but it wouldn't explain 11 BB in 15.2 innings. The team will likely return to Gagne as the closer at some point in the very near future, but whether or not he is successful is anyone's guess at this point.
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| John Van Benschoten stay with the big league club was brief as he was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis mere minutes after he allowed the Braves to scored six runs in four innings in the second game of the team's doubleheader. |
Our View: 1-12 with a 8.84 career ERA in 21 games. Do we really need to tell you that those numbers equal zero fantasy value? Didn't think so.
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| Scott Olsen has some pretty ratios (2.63 ERA, 1.08 WHIP), but the truth is there are concerns with the big lefties arm, according to MLB.com. In his last start Olsen did not break 87 mph on the gun and he was pulled after just 59 pitches. Olsen says he is fine and that he hopes, hopes, he is just experiencing dead arm. "I hope so. That would give me a little peace of mind..."I don't think I've thrown that slow since I was like 13 years old." |
Our View: There is simply no way that Olsen will be able to finish with the ratios he currently possesses, none. So it might be wise to move him to an inexperienced owner who doesn't look deeper than surface stats, especially with the news that his velocity is down.
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| John Smoltz had another good day on Monday as he was able to throw, pain free, for the second straight day, according to MLB.com. On Monday he made 45 throws from 60, and after resting on Tuesday he plans to throw agains on Wednesday. |
Our View: Smoltz still hasn't thrown off the mound, but this is very encouraging news. Smoltz appears to be in line to return to the Braves bullpen by the end of the month. Stay tuned for when it will be safe to drop Manny Acosta.
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| Lance Berkman was named the NL player of the week on Monday, according to MLB.com. Berkman hit a ridiculous .685 on the week with a 1.136 SLG which led to 10 runs scored and a .741 OBP. |
Our View: Not just a weekly wonder, over the past 19 games Berkman is hitting .485 with eight home runs, 25 RBI and 24 runs scored. Few hitters in recent memory have been this hot for this long.
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| Corey Patterson has struggled to just a .196 mark in 102 AB this season but for now he will continue to bat at the top of the Reds lineup, according to MLB.com. Patterson also has only five SB on the season. |
Our View: Ryan Freel, a player with a similar skill set, is batting .313 with a .356 OBP and five SB in 83 AB, and given the depths of the struggles of Patterson, it's really pretty shocking that Freel hasn't taken over on a daily basis for Patterson.
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| It appears that Reds' skipper Dusty Baker isn't happy with Adam Dunn's production. The Cincinnati left fielder has been moved down to seventh in the batting order. |
Our View: Dunn has six home runs in 112 at-bats, 17 RBI, 17 runs scored, but his .214/.362/.411 line is still better than most of the Reds slumping bats.
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| Brian McCann hit his seventh home run of the season as the Braves salvaged the final game of the four-game series in Pittsburgh, 8-1 on Monday afternoon. |
Our View: McCann and the Braves own the majors' worst road record, 5-14, but finally ended a road losing streak that extended over its last two road trips. They also stopped Pittsburgh's seven-game winning streak at home. McCann home run added three RBI bringing his season total to 17.
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| John Van Benschoten, one of the majors' worst pitchers last season with an 0-7 record and a 10.15 ERA in nine starts, wasn't much better in his 2008 debut. The 2001 first-round draft pick was roughed up for seven runs, six earned, and nine hits over four-plus innings. |
Our View: The right-hander has a 1-12 record and 8.84 ERA in 21 career major league games and hasn't won since 2004. The 28-year old is likely on his last leg with the Pirates. At best -- Van Benschoten is a spot starter and a long reliever out of the pen - leaving him with zero fantasy value.
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| The Pirates, who were hoping to sweep Monday's doubleheader and extend their winning streak to seven, decided to pitch John Van Benschoten against Tim Hudson -- which destroyed that hope. Hudson was strong in his ninth start of the season allowing one unearned run on two hits, walked two and struck out five in seven innings of work. |
Our View: Hudson is now 6-2 on the season. While it's still early, it appears Hudson is ready to challenge his career year (20-6/169 SO) of 2000 with the A's.
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| Alberto Gonzalez, who was recently recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, is in the starting lineup for the Yankees, hitting ninth and starting at third base. |
Our View: Gonzalez was 7-for-26 in his first stint with the Yankees. He'll share time with Morgan Ensberg at third base until A-Rod returns, this due to the hamstring injury that has again landed Wilson Betemit on the DL.
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| Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez , who was held out of the starting lineup on Sunday due to a sore right hamstring, is starting in left field and hitting in his usual cleanup spot tonight against Twins starter Livan Hernandez. |
Our View: Ramirez made a pinch hit cameo on Sunday. He came up with the tying run on second base (Coco Crisp) and two outs in a one run game. Manny proceeded to ground out to shortstop ending the 9-8 loss to the Twins.
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| Rich Harden's first start back from the disabled list wasn't good. The hard-throwing right-hander allowed five runs on eight hits, walked four and struck out five in 3.2 innings of work against the Rangers. |
Our View: His pitch count (87) was promising, however, meaning the Oakland ace will be allowed to throw 100 in his next start. Harden is scheduled to take the mound on Friday against the Atlanta Braves.
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| Livan Hernandez will be shooting for his sixth win of the season tonight when the Twins host the Red Sox, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Hernandez is 5-1 with a 3.83 ERA and passable 1.39 WHIP over 51.2 innings, with 20 strikeouts. He has been lucky to have five wins over eight starts so far, as his numbers are merely average. He is not a solid starting fantasy pitcher despite his record, especially with low strikeout totals.
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| Adam LaRoche went 2-for-3 and blasted a two-run homer in Monday's 5-0 victory over Atlanta. |
Our View: LaRoche is only hitting .212 for the season, but is playing very well right now, as that was his third homer in May, to go along with eight RBI in the month.
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| Freddy Sanchez went 1-for-3 and collected three RBI in Monday's 5-0 win over the Braves. His hit went for a double, his ninth of the season. |
Our View: His injured right shoulder has been acting up on him again, but it did not stop him from generating solid numbers today. There is still concern for roto-owners that the ailment could eventually send him to the DL this season.
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| Chipper Jones went 3-for-4 in Monday's 5-0 loss to Pittsburgh in the early game of a double-header. He also drew one walk. |
Our View: Jones raised his average to .410, and that was his fifth mult-hit game in May.
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| Jair Jurrjens was dealt his third loss of the season on Monday, as Atlanta was shut out 5-0 against the Pirates in the top half of a double-header. Jurrjens surrendered three runs on three hits over five innings, with three walks and five strikeouts. |
Our View: It was still a quality outing for him, and he only allowed one earned run in each of his previous two starts, with one total walk. He also held a strong 1.08 WHIP heading into today's game.
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| Zach Duke evened his season record to 2-2 in Monday's 5-0 victory over Atlanta in the first game of a double-header. Duke was in solid form as he hurled six shutout innings, with only five hits allowed. He had five walks with three strikeouts. |
Our View: Duke lowered his ERA to 4.04, and has now only allowed five earned runs over his last three starts (20.1 innings).
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| Reliever Julian Tavarez has been designated for assignment, according to the Boston Herald. Sean Casey has been activated from the DL, and the team needed to free up a roster spot for him. |
Our View: Tavarez was seen as expendable, as he allowed nine earned runs on 18 hits over a mere 12.2 innings of work this season with Boston. Colorado was said to be interested in acquiring him.
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| The Red Sox are still talking with the Rockies about a possible deal for pitcher Julian Tavarez, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Tavarez is 0-1 with a 6.39 ERA and 2.13 WHIP over 12.2 innings, with nine walks. He isn't pitching well and is barely being used as a reliever, but the Rockies would give him more innings than the Red Sox are right now. Colorado needs help in their rotation, and he could benefit from a change of scenery.
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| Rafael Furcal doesn't know when he'll return from a sore back. He has missed five straight games and doesn't sound certain about a Tuesday return. "I don't know," Furcal tells the Los Angeles Times. "We have to wait and see how it feels. This is the type of thing where it feels fine one day and it doesn't the next." |
Our View: Furcal sounds a bit frustrated, which is understandable considering his hot start and the team's struggles without him. Fantasy owners are rolling the dice if they use him this week.
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| Fernando Martinez is hot in Double-A right now, as he has three-straight multi-hit games and holds a .354 average over 34 at-bats in May so far, according to MetsBlog. |
Our View: Martinez is a top outfielding prospect for the Mets, and is hitting very well right now, but is still learning and is not yet ready to be promoted to Triple-A.
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| Rafael Soriano threw a 10-minute bullpen session on Sunday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His elbow wasn't perfect, but it felt better than his previous sessions. He is recovering from right elbow tendinitis. |
Our View: He'll probably throw again Tuesday in the bullpen at Philadelphia, then a decision will be made on the next step. Manager Bobby Cox said he would need to throw at least one inning, presumably in a minor league game, so that the Braves could have assurances before they send down someone to free up a roster spot for Soriano.
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| Casey Blake is 6-for-12 with six RBI over his last four games, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. |
Our View: Blake is only hitting .236 for the season, but has 25 RBI over 32 games, and is worth starting while he remains hot.
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| Kevin Correia is playing catch but is still about two or three weeks away from returning from the DL, according to the SF Chronicle. He is recovering from a strained left oblique, and Manager Bruce Bochy said, "With that injury, you really have to make sure it's completely gone before you get him back out there. If it flares up again, you'll be starting over."
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Our View: Correia was 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA and passable 1.38 WHIP over five starts before getting hurt. He also surrendered five homers, and isn't worth waiting for when he returns.
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| Jason Isringhausen, who was removed from his closer's role, threw about 20 pitches in the bullpen prior to Sunday's game against Milwaukee, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is trying to correct a flaw in his mechanics, which coaches believe began with how he throws his slider. The flaw caused Isringhausen to lose confidence in his cut fastball and his curveball, hence resulting in five blown saves. |
Our View: Ryan Franklin and Russ Springer will share the closer's role temporarily until Isringhausen gets back on track. Isringhausen could still serve time in middle relief.
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| Jason LaRue was removed from Sunday action after his left knee became twisted on a play at the plate in the eighth inning against Milwaukee, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. LaRue struggled to get to his feet before getting help from trainer Barry Weinberg. LaRue finished the inning but was lifted for pinch-hitter Aaron Miles in the ninth.
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Our View: LaRue underwent surgery on his right knee in March 2006. He stated after the game that he was only shaken and not injured. He made his ninth start of the season on Sunday, but is only hitting .091 over 33 at-bats this season, with no homers or RBI.
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| Manager Tony LaRussa plans to rest star first baseman Albert Pujols tonight, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It's what I've been thinking all along. It's a good way to do it," said La Russa, who in spring training forecast two or three days off a month for Pujols.
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Our View: It would be his first game off of the season. Chris Duncan is expected to start at first base. Adjust your lineups accordingly.
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| The White Sox have signed lefty reliever Ray King to a minor league deal, according to CBSsports. |
Our View: King won't likely see much action this season, and couldn't hold a spot in the Nationals' pen.
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| Hong-Chih Kuo and Chan Ho Park are the likely candidates for Saturday's start against the Angels, according to the LA Times. The team will need a fifth starter for the rotation that day, and Esteban Loaiza remains on the DL. Manager Joe Torre was asked if future star Clayton Kershaw was an option for the spot, and Torre replied, "I'm assuming he could be an option but not in my mind at this point. I don't think there's any question that he's on our radar screen. Now it's just a matter of making sure you don't make a move too soon. Our ambitions are geared more toward getting to October than it is to next week."
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Our View: Torre is said to make his decision on Tuesday or Wednesday regarding his fifth starter. Kuo is 2-1 over three starts this season, with a 2.77 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 26 innings, with 34 strikeouts.
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| Nomar Garciaparra will travel with the Dodgers to Milwaukee and take part in an early workout on Tuesday, according to the LA Times. Garciaparra said he started jogging Friday and that his strained right calf hasn't bothered him.
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Our View: Garciaparra might be sent on a minor league rehab assignment after that. As previously reported, he could be activated for the series opener against the Angels on May 16 in Anaheim.
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| The Cubs are believed to be interested in acquiring recently released San Diego outfielder Jim Edmonds, according to FanNation.com. Lou Piniella is said to be looking for another left-handed batter to go with Kosuke Fukudome, and Felix Pie has been disappointing. |
Our View: Signing Edmonds would potentially send Pie down to Triple-A Iowa to get some much needed practice and playing time. Edmonds was only hitting .178 (with only one homer) over 90 at-bats this season with San Diego, but could benefit from a change of scenery in Chicago, and his power numbers would likely improve by playing his home games at Wrigley Field.
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| Franklin Morales contributed five innings in a combined no-hitter with three Triple-A Colorado Springs relievers on Sunday. |
Our View: The no-hitter is made slightly less impressive by the fact that Morales walked six batters in those five innings, which resulted in an earned run. Morales was demoted by the Rockies to get some seasoning with his control, and we can hardly characterize this start as progress.
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| Aneury Rodriguez threw a complete game one-hitter for High-A Modesto on Sunday to improve his record to 3-3. |
Our View: Rodriguez has been feast of famine for the most part this season. His ERA is down to 3.11, which has been helped by four starts in which he didn’t allow a run. He also has three starts in which he allowed four runs or more. The 20-year-old is performing just fine overall and is receiving attention as one of Colorado’s better pitching prospects.
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| Cameron Maybin hit his fifth home run of the season for Double-A Carolina on Sunday. |
Our View: He had been in a slump recently, but is now hitting .242-5-11 with six steals. The 51 strikeouts are just another indicator that he was pushed too quickly by the Tigers late last season, but that hardly sours the 21-year-old’s potential.
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| Andy LaRoche hit his second home run in as many games for Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday. |
Our View: To say that LaRoche has nothing left to prove offensively in Triple-A would be the understatement of the year, but the Dodgers apparently don’t think that he can help them right now. He is hitting .324-4-9 with a 12/2 BB/K ratio in 12 games for Vegas.
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| Rich Hill pitched very well in the first game of Triple-A Iowa’s doubleheader on Sunday, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, four walks and struck out eight. |
Our View: The walks are still the concern, and probably reason enough for the Cubs to leave Hill down in the minors a bit longer. For what it’s worth, Hill has a 13/5 K/BB ratio in 10.2 innings since being sent down.
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